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Sir Alex Ferguson is glad Man Utd will be at home after Christmas and is keen to get to the New Year in a good position.

Last Updated: 19/12/12 12:48pm

Sir Alex Ferguson: Hoping to make the most of home advantage in the games after Christmas

Manchester United travel to Wales this weekend to take on Swansea City but they will then be back at Old Trafford for their final two matches of 2012, against Newcastle United on Boxing Day and then West Bromwich Albion on 29th December.

Ferguson knows what an important period it is and has called on his side to strengthen their position at the top of the table, where they are currently six points clear of Manchester City.

"For years they used to send us up to Middlesbrough or Sunderland around Boxing Day or New Year," Ferguson said in Inside United. "But this time they're giving us a bit of clemency, forgiving us for our previous sins!

"Whether at home or away you've still got to win the games.

"In the modern game we'd fly to a place like Newcastle, so it's not the same burden as it would have been years ago.

"But we usually get ourselves to the New Year in a good position and that's where we want to be."